Method of forming back heel seams for footwear



May 20, v 1930.

B. H. HERBSTER METHOD OF FORMING BACK HEEL SEAMS FOR FOOTWEAR Filed Sept. 24. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS y 20, 1930- B. H. HERBSTER 7 1,759,643

I, METHOD OF FORMING BACK HEEL SEAMS FOR FOOTWEAR Filed Sept. 24, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 2 g E :03! 44* w I J 26 INVEN TOR.

By #M ATTORNEYS May 20, 1930.

B. H. HERBSTER METHOD OF FORMING BACK HEEL SEAHS FOR FOOTWEAR fisheets-sheet 5 Filed Sept. 24, 1927 A TTORNEYS Patented May 20, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BENJAMIN H. HERBSTER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO CHAPLINE-MAYER SHOE COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE METHOD OF FORMING BACK HEEL SEAMS FOR FOOTWEAR Application filed September 24, 1927. Serial No. 221,734.

This invention relates to improvements in method of forming ba'ck heel seams forfootwear.

Heretofore, shoe manufacturers have encountered difiiculties in forming the back heel seam on shoes. The method formerly em ployed was to stitch the two quarters of leather together on the wrong side, apply a strip of adhesive tape thereto, and then turn the product right side out. This method was fairly successful Where a double row of stitching was used, but double stitching is objectionable because the seam formed thereby is not neat in appearance. When the aforementioned method was used with a single row of stitching, difliculties were encountered. After turning the product right side out, there was a pronounced bulging on one side of the seam, and the strip of tape 011 the inside would wrinkle. The result was a cumbersome looking seam and a poorly shaped heel portion. For these reasons, it became very desirable to devise a new method for taping and smoothing out the seam.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a method of forming back heel seams for footwear which will produce a well shaped back heel portion of the shoe, and a seam which is neat in appearance.

It is a. further object of this invention to provide a method of forming back heel seams for footwear in which a single row of stitching is employed.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of applying the strip of adhesive tape to the inside of the seam and for smoothing out the seam and shaping the heel portion when the quarters of leather are right side out or in their natural position.

- A further object of this invention is to pro- 'vide a method of forming back heel seams for shoes which is simple, effective, and well adapted for the purpose described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved method of forming back heel seams for shoes and all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

The method maybe carried out by employing in the practice thereof a machine such as is shown in the accompanying drawings. In these drawings, in which the same reference characters designate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved apparatus for forming the back heel seam for shoes, showing the device in attachment with a portion of a table;

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view of the opposite side of the machine from that shown in Fig. 1, parts heing broken away and parts being shownin section;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4.4 of Fig. 3; p

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the front end of the machine, showing shoe quarters .in position on the machine, parts being broken away;

Flg. 7 1s a side view of a portion of the machine, showing the shoe quarters in position,

parts being broken'away and parts being shown In section;

Fig. 8 is a view of the inside of the fin- I ished product showing the attached strip of adhesive tape; and

Fig. 9 is an outside view of the finished.

member preferably in the form of a wheel 19.

Secured to the tubular extension 15 and havlng its upper end adjacent the wheel 19 is a tapegu-ide 20 having an eye 21. The upper portlon of the arm 14 forms a bearing for the shaft 22. On the outer end of this shaft is a rlgidly mounted. outer pulley 23 and a rigidly mounted inner pulley 24. On an intermediate portion of the shaft 22 is a tightly fitting eccentric sleeve 25. Loosely mounted on the eccentric sleeve is an outer collar 26 formed with a downwardly extending arm 27 having a vertically extending slot 28. A bolt 29 projects through this slot and into a bracket 30 which is secured to the arm 14. 'A spring member 31 held between pins '32 holds the arm 27 yieldingly in a raised position. Secured to and projecting from the lower portion of the arm 27 is a seam smoothing member 33 having an engaging head 34. The front end of the shaft 22 is formed with an eccentric portion 35 which is smaller in diameter than the main part of the shaft and which is positioned off the center of the shaft 22. J ournaled on this eccentric portion is a feeding arm 36 having a vertical slot 37. A bolt 38 extends through this slot and into the arm 14. On the lower end of the feeding arm 36, and adj ustably positioned within a bore is an inverted T-shaped feeding member 39 having a groove 40 in its lower surface. A set screw 41 is arranged to adjust the feeding member 39 within the bore. Extending downwardly from a bracket 42 on the arm 14 is a guide finger 43. A spring 44 surrounding the upper portion of the finger and position between extensions 45 holds the finger yieldingly in position.

The outer pulley 23 is rotated by means of abelt 46 which is connected with driving mechanism 47. The inner pulley 24 is connected by an endless belt with a lower pulley 48. The lower pulley is rigidly mounted on one end of a shaft 49 which is journaled in bearings 50, the latter bein secured to'the lower side of the table 13. n the other end of the shaft 49 a cranked arm 51 is rigidly mounted. A bearing 52 also secured to the underside of the table has journaled therein a shaft 53, upon one end of which a tape holding wheel 54 is mounted. The wheel 54 is arranged to hold a roll of adhesive tape 55 which is fed to the machine.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the power is turned on, the driving mechanism 47 is set in motion and this is transmitted by the belt 46 and the pulley 23 to the shaft 22. As the shaft revolves, a reciprocal motion is imparted to the eccentrically mounted arm 27 and the leather smoothing member 33. A similar motion is given to the arm 36 by the eccentric 35. When the Shaft 22 is rotating, motion is also transmitted by the pulleys 24 and 48 to the shaft 49. This causes the cranked arm 51 to rotate and pull the adhesive tape 0E of the roll, as illus trated in Fig. 2. 4

To form the back heel seam, the following method is used: Two pieces of leather forming the quarters of a shoe are stitched together on the wrong side. turned right side out, and placed in the machine on the wheel 19, as shown in Fi s. 6 and 7. The guide finger 43 rests in t e seam.

They are then,

Adhesive tape which passes from the roll over the cranked arm 51 and through the eye 21 in the tape guide 20, is in place on the Wheel 19 with its adhering side up. As the leather is fed in, the feed member 39 goes through the various positions shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 6, pressing down upon and smoothing out theseam and causing the adhesive tape to become afiixed to the under side of the seam. The feeding member 39 also tends to push or feed the leather further along the wheel 19. The groove 40 in the feeding member is for the purpose of receiving the seam, as illustrated in Fig. 7. After the strips of leather h'ave passed the feeding member, they are engaged by the head 34 of the smoothing member 33. This memberpresses upon and smoothes out the seam and shapes the heel portion of the shoe. The finished products 56 are discharged from the machine, as shown in Fig. 6, and it is then necessary to cut off the projecting strips of tape. By this method, a neat seam and a well shaped back heel portion of the shoe are produced, as illustrated in Fig. 9. The smoothing out of the seam and taping are both done while the leather is right side out, so the necessity of turning the leather over, and the consequent bulging, is eliminated. The strip of adhesive tape is also alfixed to the inner portion in such a manner that there are no wrinkles, as is illustrated in Fig. 8. c

From the foregoing description, it may be seen that the improved method of producing back heel seams for shoes is simple, effective, and well adapted for the purpose described.

What I claim as my invention is: I

1. The method of forming back heel seams for footwear which consists in sewing a pair of shoe quarters together while turned inside out, turning the quarters right side out, subjecting the seam on the turned right side of the leather to the action of a smoothing device, and applying to and causing the adherence of a strip of material over the seam on the inside of the quarters.

2. The method of forming ba'ck heel seams for footwear which consists in sewing a pair of shoe quarters together while turned inside out, turning the quarters right side out, subjecting the seam on the turned right side of the leather to the action of a smoothing device, and simultaneously applying to and causing the adherence of a strip of material over the seam on the insideof the quarters.-

3. The method of forming back heel seams for footwear which consists in sewing a pair of shoe quarters together while turned inside out with a single row of stitching, turning the quarters right side' out, subjecting the seam on the turned right side of the leather to the action of a smoothing device, and applying to and causing the adherence of a strip of material over the seam on the inside of the quarters.

4. The method of forming back heel seams for footwear which consists in sewing a pair of shoe quarters together while turned inside out with a single row of stitching, turning the quarters right side out, subjecting the seam on the turned right side of the leather I Y to the action of a smoothing device, and simultaneously applying to and causing the adherence of .a strip of material over the seam on the inside of the quarters.

5. The method of forming back heel seams V for footwear which consists in sewing a pair out, turning the quarters right side out and 'of shoe quarters together while turned inside subjecting the turned right side of the shoe quarters to the action of a smoothing device.

6. The method of applying an adhesive tape for reinforcing the back seam of shoe quarters, which consists in supporting an adhesiye tape on a mandrel, pressing the quarters at the seam flesh side against the tape and moving the work to cause molding of the seam into its final form.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

BENJAMIN H. HERBSTER. 

